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Playboy boss HUGH HEFNER has invited British soccer star DAVID BECKHAM to join him and his bunnies at the infamous Playboy mansion in a bid to welcome him to Hollywood.
Beckham announced yesterday (11JAN07) he is leaving Spanish club Read Madrid at the end of the current season for a five year contract with California side Los Angeles Galaxy, and Hefner is keen to make him feel at home in America.
The 80-year-old says, "I think Hollywood is gonna love him. The girls at the mansion have been talking about it and want to be sure that we put him on the party list.
"I think he will do very well here, particularly since soccer has never really caught on in America as it has in the rest of the world, he may make the difference." Beckham’s wife VICTORIA has also been asked to do a photoshoot with some of the Playmates.
Bunnie girl BRIDGET MARQUARDT, 33, insists she would love former SPICE GIRL Victoria to do a spread with her group in the pages of Playboy. She says, "She should do a pictorial with us. We’ve got big plans for her. I think she’s going to fit in fine - they’re both gorgeous."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

SYLVESTER STALLONE has warned young actors not to get too caught up with the idea of fame, warning celebrity can as addictive as it is destructive.
The ROCKY star, 60 - who has been married three times and has five children blames his turbulent personal life on his rapid rise through Hollywood.
He says, "Success and fame are as addictive as heroin unless you have a very stable home life.
"I didn’t have that, and when you come from nothing and you are given everything - money, women, limos - it’s crazy.
"Fame is intoxicating. Think about the world as a candy shop and you don’t have to pay. You know what happens when you eat too much candy; it affects your work and whatever made you special is gone."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

BRITNEY SPEARS has added to her family after buying a $3,200 (£1,640) puppy gift for baby sons SEAN PRESTON and JAYDEN JAMES.
The pop superstar, who is in the middle of divorce proceedings with estranged husband KEVIN FEDERLINE, picked up a pup at pet store Pets of Bel Air during a shopping trip in Los Angeles on Wednesday (10JAN07).
Sources claim Spears plans to call her expensive new Chihuahua SNOW WHITE.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Spears’ Chihuahuas LUCKY and BIT BIT and her Maltese LACY, is not known. The dogs were the singer’s constant canine companions while she was married to Federline.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

MADONNA’s new 3D movie ARTHUR & THE INVISIBLES has been disqualified from competing for an Oscar - because it isn’t animated enough.
Oscars officials claim the film, which also features the voices of FREDDIE HIGHMORE, MIA FARROW and JIMMY FALLON, includes a disproportionate percentage of live action, and have ruled it ineligible for a Best Animated Film Academy Award.
Last month (DEC06) BEYONCE KNOWLES discovered she had been disqualified from possibly taking the Oscars stage as a potential Best Song nominee - because only three songwriters can be named and her contribution to DREAMGIRLS ballad LISTEN wasn’t considered as great as the tune’s leading balladeers.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

GEORGE CLOONEY premiered his hard-hitting documentary about life in war-torn Sudan in Washington, DC on Wednesday (10JAN07) and shared with political guests his fears that the genocide there would get worse before it gets better.
The film star and his politician father NICK visited Darfur and Chad last summer (06) to capture video footage of the hell in refugee camps there.
The Clooneys interviewed victims of the Janjaweed Arab militia, who have raped and pillaged the area, and returned with the resolve to do what they could to heighten awareness of the dire situation to Americans.
And now previously-unseen footage the father and son team collected in Africa appears on a new documentary, A JOURNEY TO DARFUR, which will be aired on the AmericanLife TV network on Monday (15JAN07).
In a satellite interview after the screening on Wednesday, the actor told guests he felt the Darfur situation was the first genocide of the 21st century.
He said, "I will remember forever how the people there were hanging from such a thin thread and there were so many ways for them to die and yet they were optimistic." Clooney later revealed that he, himself, was "pessimistic" the situation in Darfur could get better fast

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Actress CYBILL SHEPHERD jumped at the chance to play a lesbian on TV drama THE L WORD because it allowed her to live out her secret yearning to bed a woman.
The former MOONLIGHTING star is receiving rave reviews for portraying lesbian PHYLLIS KROLL on the show and admits the role was a bit of a dream come true.
She explains, "I have wondered about it (lesbianism)… At various times in my life I wanted to be open to the possibility of having a woman as a lover.
"I am not actively pursuing it, but it is not over yet."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

CLIVE OWEN’s new drama CHILDREN OF MEN and THE DEPARTED were the big winners at the fifth annual Central Ohio Film Critics Association awards, announced last night (11JAN07).
Children of Men beat The Departed to this year’s big Best Film prize, but MARTIN SCORSESE’s gritty drama picked up the most honours.
The LEONARDO DiCAPRIO and JACK NICHOLSON film earned Scorsese a Best Director honour and also picked up Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Ensemble and Best Screenplay-Adapted prizes.
Other big winners in Ohio included DAME HELEN MIRREN for Best Actress (THE QUEEN), while DREAMGIRLS stars EDDIE MURPHY and JENNIFER HUDSON claimed the Best Supporting Actor and Actress honours
. Hudson also won the Breakthrough Film Artist award.
Clive Owen took home the Actor of The Year prize for his "exemplary work in Children of Men and INSIDE MAN." Environmental film AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH claimed Ohio critics’ Best Documentary; PAN’S LABYRINTH the Best Foreign Language Film; CARS for Best Animated Film, and BRICK for Best Overlooked Film
. (KL/WN/SH) FASCINATING FACT: THIS IS..
. SPINAL TAP and THE SIMPSONS star HARRY SHEARER has written his first novel, entitled NOT ENOUGH INDIANS
.

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THE QUEEN director STEPHEN FREARS will reign over the 60th annual Cannes Film Festival in France in May (07) after being named this year’s Jury President.
Last year’s (06) president, director WONG KAR WAI, will return to the event for competition - his new movie, MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, which stars singer NORAH JONES, will premiere at the festival.
Frears won a special jury prize at Cannes in 1987 for his JOE ORTON biopic PRICK UP YOUR EARS.
In a written statement, the thrilled British moviemaker quipped, "God bless Cannes! (as well as the queen)."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Comedian/novelist STEVE MARTIN is telling the story of his life in a new autobiography.
The funnyman, who got serious to star in the acclaimed movie adaptation of his novel SHOPGIRL, has been commissioned to pen BORN STANDING UP for publishing house Simon & Schuster.
Martin insists he won’t be dishing the dirt on past romances and personal details, but focusing the book on his years as a stand-up comedian.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

SARAH FERGUSON, the DUCHESS OF YORK, is poking fun at her portly past in a new US WeightWatchers TV campaign.
The slimmed down socialite, who lost 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms), on the diet programme 10 years ago has since become a spokeswoman for WeightWatchers.
And now she’s appearing in a new TV ad, joking about her hefty nicknames and her British roots.
In the ad, Ferguson says, "It’s harder than being called the ‘Duchess of Pork’, it’s certainly harder than keeping a stiff upper lip, you know. It’s the hardest thing in the world, staying on a diet." Fergie insists there’s little she won’t do for her friends at WeightWatchers - because they’ve always been there for her.
She explains, "When (my) mum died I put about 10 pounds on and the leaders from WeightWatchers are so fab, they came up to me and cosily took my hand, and said, ‘You know what, maybe you’re eating your grief. Shall we just mourn it together and shall we just help you through it?’ "And I was. I had no idea that I was just stuffing down my feelings."

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MIA FARROW has pulled her retirement fund from investment firm Fidelity after discovering the company has ties with Chinese oil giants which are allegedly funding the genocide in Darfur.
The movie star spent last summer (06) in war-torn Sudan and Chad, photographing refugees and victims of the civil strife for a new book she hopes will heighten awareness about the crisis in Africa.
She was horrified to discover two oil companies are complicit in funding the atrocities - and she has financial ties to a firm linked to them.
She says, "There are two oil companies, Sinopec and PetroChina, pouring billions of dollars into Khartoum, most of which is used in attack helicopters, bomb ships, munitions factories, training and arming the Janjaweed (Arab militia in Darfur).
"The government of Sudan has refused to admit the peacekeepers that the United Nations has been begging them to admit, but China continues business as usual.
"I had some of my pension money in Fidelity, but Fidelity has huge holdings in both Sinopec and PetroChina). So I wrote them a letter saying why I was withdrawing my retirement fund from Fidelity.
"I would beg them to assume the leadership and say Fidelity is now divesting from these companies."

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

MICHAEL JACKSON’s sister LA TOYA had to overcome a major fear before signing on to train as a cop in new reality show ARMED & FAMOUS - she’s terrified of cats.
Prowling around at night in Muncie, Indiana with local police officials as part of the show, Jackson knew she’d come across pet cats - and she wasn’t looking forward to the encounters.
She says, "I knew that I had to get over this fear of cats because everybody has them. They’re domestic animals.
"(But) you walk down a street and I see a cat, I’m terrified… When I was a child I saw a cat attack one of my relatives. This cat decided to jump on her neck and he tried to just kill her. His body was flipping back and forth." Jackson went so far as to see a cat therapist to help her with her feline phobia and her tearful session was caught on camera for the new reality TV show.
The terrified star even agreed to come face to face with a kitten during the televised therapy session and bravely stroked the cat.
The session worked wonders for Jackson, who now insists her fear of cats is gone: "My family would never ever ever believe that I have overcome the fear of a cat." Jackson joins JACK OSBOURNE and former TV cop ERIK ESTRADA as trainee cops in the new reality show.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

AMERICAN IDOL winner CARRIE UNDERWOOD has scored yet another music record by landing the fastest quintuple-platinum certification ever for a debut album by a female country artist.
The JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL singer’s hit album SOME HEARTS raced past the five million mark in America earlier this month (JAN07).
The album spent a total of 20 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Country Albums chart.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Veteran pop star LEO SAYER has sensationally walked out of UK reality show CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER because producers would not give him clean underpants.
The singer announced to housemates he was quitting the programme’s London compound earlier today (12JAN07), before forcing his way through one of the walls with a broom.
He told his new showbiz friends inside, "I’m leaving the House, guys, ‘cos Big Brother won’t provide me with underwear." Sayer’s exit comes just days after veteran filmmaker KEN RUSSELL walked out of the show after rowing with fellow contestant and UK reality television queen JADE GOODY. Last week (05JAN07) TOWERS OF LONDON rocker DONNY TOURETTE scaled the compound’s wall after learning he’d be playing servant to Goody.
Among those left in the show are DIRK BENEDICT and JERMAINE JACKSON.

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LATEST: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has started speaking out about the break-up of his romance with CAMERON DIAZ - but he isn’t saying very much.
During the first concert of his 36-date FutureSex/LoveShow tour on Monday (08JAN07), the singer revealed, "Sometimes love isn’t so easy," and now he reveals his hectic work schedule is helping him nurse the pain.
Speaking by phone on radio presenter RYAN SEACREST’s KIIS-FM show in Los Angeles this morning (12JAN07), Timberlake revealed, "I’m on tour and its awesome." When asked if being distracted by work was helpful, the singer responded, "Yeah, it’s great." The couple confirmed they had split up after almost four years together earlier this week (beg08JAN07).

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

COURTNEY LOVE has acquired the rights to CHARLES CROSS’ celebrated biography on her late husband KURT COBAIN, HEAVIER THAN HEAVEN, and plans to turn it into a movie.
Love is now reportedly in talks with a number of top Hollywood studios with a view to immortalising the NIRVANA frontman’s life on the big screen.
In a posting on her fansite MoonwashedRose.com, Love revealed the film project is "in an embryonic stage," adding, "(There’s) no script and no director attached.
The project will be the first official film about the tragic rocker, who committed suicide in 1995, although moviemaker GUS VAN SANT cast actor MICHAEL PITT as a Cobain lookalike in 2005 movie LAST DAYS, which was widely believed to be the director’s unauthorised account of the Nirvana star’s life.

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A range of lick ‘n’ taste stamps have been released to celebrate the Chinese year of the pig.
The stamps feature images of the curly-tailed animal and customers can taste sweet and sour pork when they lick the back.
The ‘tasty aroma’ is also released when the pig image is scratched.
The stamps have already gone on sale in China ahead of their New Year, on February 18.
Hong Kong have previously released their own lick ‘n’ taste green tea-flavoured stamps.

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A US woman had her life saved by her bra.
Debbie Bingham, 46, was innocently watching fireworks with her family in Florida when she was struck in the shoulder after somebody fired a .45-calibre into the air.
Bingham says she didn’t notice the bullet but felt a sharp pain and then her daughter noticed blood seeping through her shirt.
When they examined the injury they discovered the stray bullet lodged in the strap of her gold bra.
Bingham described her underwear as "very cheap", but added, "I’d love to have a couple more of those bras."

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